Appearance MATTERS
The following is an excerpt from the Get Hired During COVID online course I've launched with my business partner Ellis Fitch at EdifyContent.com. We are hoping to help unemployed people find work.
Misconception #20: Your Appearance Doesn’t Matter
One time, I interviewed a guy who came to my office from Comicon (a famous and yuge comic book-related conference). He had bright blue hair and a very sizable, equally blue beard. I’m not talking “blue” like the sky or like a peaceful pond. This was the brightest, most neon blue hair I’d ever seen. He had a shirt with a funny meme on it. About 10 minutes into the interview, I had to tell him, “Look, I am doing everything I can to stop myself from laughing. I can’t get myself to talk to you without smiling or laughing.” He said, “No, I totally get it. I probably shouldn’t have shown up with this blue beard and hair. And I probably could have worn a different shirt.”
Um, yeah. You could have.
I’m a pretty easy-going guy. I will fight for my team to live as freely as possible. But even I have my limits in the workplace. The guy looked like a walking punchline. How on earth was I expected to take him seriously with extremely blue hair everywhere on his face? (Even his eyebrows were dyed!) Was I being unprofessional by laughing? I don’t know! But I couldn’t get a grip on the situation and we ended the conversation earlier than either of us expected. Probably because of the blue.
Research shows that “body language accounts for between 60 to 80% of the impact made around a negotiating table and that people form 60 to 80% of their initial opinion about a person in less than four minutes.” What impression do you think you’ll make if you show up for a job interview with brightly-dyed hair, possibly-unprofessional clothing, and a casual attitude?
I get that some companies are totally cool with that kind of thing. But outside of some pretty liberal geographies, you’re likely to get some looks and possibly some laughs if you show up dressed like you, well, just came from Comicon. Appearance does matter and unless you have confirmation that you’re interviewing with a fellow cosplayer, you might want to err on the side of professionalism.
Appearance matters! Look professional for any pre-employment interactions.
Ellis has some counterarguments:
This is a minefield, because appearance absolutely does matter. A guy can show up in a polo and dark jeans for an interview, but that would be far too casual for most women, both interviewers and interviewees. But you don’t want to look too sexy, or too dowdy. If you wear heels, will you be taller than the man interviewing you, and will he care? What’s the right balance of makeup, especially over Zoom? There’s even debate about whether you should wear your engagement ring on a job interview.
The minefield is even more difficult to navigate if you’re a BIPOC. Do people consider your natural hair “unprofessional”? Will they be immediately biased if your name reflects non-white culture — and will they even attempt to pronounce it correctly, or will they just designate an anglo-approved nickname for you? Will you look too “ethnic”? [eyeroll]
It’s easy for Anthony to say “Appearance matters, don’t show up with a blue beard” because most women will agonize over outfits for days and crowdsource opinions from trusted friends. Of course you’re not going to show up with a blue beard, you’re wondering if bare shoulders are “too much skin” for a Zoom interview.
Of course women and BIPOC do get hired for jobs, but there are so many more things for them to consider, that this narrative is just not as straightforward as it is for Anthony and Bluebeard.
Have you ever had an issue with your attire or an interview candidate's attire? Let us know in the comments.
?Purchase our course “Get Hired During COVID” at EdifyContent.com. If you're unemployed, take advantage of our pay-what-you-can model on our website, or send us an email at [email protected].